The Wrong Question

Trey Smith

Blacks and whites across the country view the Trayvon Martin case and its potential racial implications in largely different ways, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

In one of the starkest differences, 73% of blacks said they believe George Zimmerman would have been arrested if Trayvon was white, while 33% of whites agreed. The majority of whites polled — 52% — said race made no difference in the case.
~ from Poll Shows Racial Divide on Views of Trayvon Martin Case by Yamiche Alcindor ~

Opinion polls are interesting things. As one would expect, most people focus on the answers, but what is often more telling about a poll is the question or questions. In this case, I would submit that the wrong question was asked.

This is not to suggest that the results of this particular poll are not disquieting. When it comes to almost ANY poll about the racial divide in this nation, too many of my fellow whites tend to be clueless. Because we rarely, if ever, experience the ugliness of discrimination and prejudice based solely on the color of our skin, too many Caucasians act as if this festering problem does not really exist.

The more salient question that would have exposed the blinders that most whites wear is to turn around the particulars in this case. If Trayvon Martin had been a 28 year old black man who shot an unarmed 17 year old white George Zimmerman, do you think Martin would have been arrested on the spot?

My guess is that nearly 100% of blacks surveyed would say yes -- of course, he would have been arrested. "Stand Your Ground" law be damned. And I would guess that a significantly less number of whites -- maybe less than 50% -- would agree.

For me, too much of the focus in this tragic case has been on the race of the victim. While I do agree that a white victim may have received swifter justice, the more important issue is the race of the shooter. A white shooter is far more apt to be provided with a benefit of doubt than a black shooter.

If a white shooter claims self-defense, white America tends to believe him. If a black shooter claims self-defense, white America tends not to believe him because...well...he's BLACK and we should know what too many whites think about blacks simply based on all the hysterical vitriol aimed at the nation's first black president.

Post-racial America?

Nowhere close, not even a smidge!